1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a condensate separator especially for a portable (smoke) gas analyzer, and more particularly to a condensate separator which provides for easy drainage of condensate.
2. Description of the Related Art
To analyze the flue gas from furnaces and the exhaust from gas engines for example, the gas to be measured is drawn in through a probe and fed to an analyzer. The gas to be measured must be prepared for gas analysis. In particular, smoke and dirt particles as well as moisture must be removed from the gas to be measured. It is therefore customary to provide a condensate separator to remove moisture from the gas to be measured to prevent condensate from entering the gas analyzer, and thus prevents condensate from contacting the sensors contained therein.
The basic design of such a condensate separator, as used especially in portable gas analyzers, is shown in DE 41 01 194 C1. This condensate separator has an especially simple design and is suitable for portable application.
In this condensate separator, the gas to be measured flows through a condensate separating chamber formed inside a housing and sealed off from the environment. The housing is tubular in shape and is sealed at both ends by plugs. The plugs are provided with nipples to connect to small tubes which form gas guide elements, so that gas can be guided into and out of the separating chamber.
The gas to be measured is introduced into the separating chamber on the influx side through the gas supply element. The moisture contained in the gas to be measured is separated in this separating chamber, with the separation taking place, for example, by multiple deflection of the stream of gas to be measured and as a result of the turbulence generated thereby. The gas to be measured, after being dehumidified in this fashion, leaves the separating chamber on the opposite side through the gas removal element and is fed to the analyzer. The separated condensate remains inside the separating chamber and precipitates on the housing walls. It is therefore necessary to remove the condensate manually at certain intervals. For this purpose, one of the two plugs is withdrawn from the housing so that the condensate contained therein can flow out of the housing. Depending on the quantity of condensate that accumulates, it may be necessary to repeat the emptying process at relatively short intervals. To allow a visual check by the operator, the housing is therefore made of a transparent material.
Another condensate separator is shown in DE 42 41 891 A1 from which the invention takes its departure. In this separator, a separating chamber is located inside the housing which has a gas supply element for introducing gas into the separating chamber as well as a gas removal element for removing gas from the separating chamber. In addition, the condensate separator has a condensate collecting chamber that is part of the separating chamber and receives the collected condensate. The condensate-collecting chamber enables simplified operation by virtue of the fact that it is possible to determine at any time, on the basis of the quantity of condensate contained in the condensate-collecting chamber, whether it is necessary to empty the chamber. In this case also, however, the emptying process must be performed manually. In addition, as in the case of the condensate separator described at the outset, it is unavoidable that the measuring process must be interrupted to remove the condensate. This is problematic, especially when measurements must be conducted continuously over long periods of time and with a large quantity of condensate collecting at the same time.
Hence the goal of the invention is to provide an improved condensate separator that permits condensate removal without opening the housing.